Conventionally, belt conveyors are used for the transporting of minerals such as coal and ore that have been mined on-site at a mine, or for the transporting of industrial products in a factory.
As is shown in Patent document 1 (see below), for example, operations are carried out to detect any deterioration or damage to the belt of the belt conveyor that is transporting the minerals such as coal and iron ore.
Lacerations (i.e., vertical tears) in the longitudinal direction are generated in the belt by the deterioration of the belt or by the detection operation, and it can be inferred in advance that the belt will become damaged and obstructions to the transporting of ore will be generated, and processing such as repairs and the like can consequently be performed.